London Capital Group beefs up its board with several outside directors

As the next step in London Capital Group (LON:LCG)’s rejuvenation subsequent to its purchase by astute FX industry mogul Charles-Henri Sabet, the company has drafted in a series of new key personnel.

LeapRate discussed this exact subject with Mr. Sabet upon the completion of the financing initiative to the tune of $17 million which resulted in Mr. Sabet becoming Chairman of London Capital Group, at which time Mr. Sabet indicated that new blood is critical to the company’s future direction.

Announced via London Stock Exchange, the venue at which London Capital Group’s stock is listed, the changes take effect immediately with Dr Charles Poncet, Dimitri Goulandris and Julien Cohen assuming their positions as non-executive directors.

Dr. Charles Poncet is one of the leading international arbitration specialists in Geneva and has been a practicing lawyer for over 25 years. Dr Poncet has appeared in several leading cases concerning large scale investments, joint ventures and other disputes, often involving amounts in dispute in excess of one billion USD. He is a partner in CMS von Erlach Poncet, one of Switzerland’s leading law firms and a member of the CMS network. He is also currently chairman of SOGEMCO SA and a director of Société des Hôtels Président. Charles was a member of the Swiss Parliament from 1989 to 1995 and is fluent in French, Italian, English and German, and will bring valuable international experience to the board.

Dimitri Goulandris has 20 years’ of experience in financial services, with a focus on private equity. He spent eight years at Morgan Stanley in its private equity group, structuring derivative products and executing mergers and acquisitions from New York and London. From 1999 to 2001 Mr. Goulandris set up and ran the European operations of Whitney & Company, the private equity firm.

Mr. Goulandris founded The Cycladic Group in 2002, which specialises in investing and creating businesses. The group has invested in over 40 businesses and founded five in the U.S, Europe, India, Africa and Latin America. He holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School and a master’s degree in electrical and information sciences from the University of Cambridge. Mr. Goulandris will bring valuable high-level financial services and transactional experience to the board.

Julien Cohen has worked for 15 years in general corporate management and financial investment and brings a breadth of experience as a non-executive director and investor across industry sectors including mining, defence, commodities and information technology services.

Mr. Cohen is currently a non-executive director and major shareholder at Ressources Robex, the Toronto and Frankfurt listed mining explorer and developer. He has worked for the Georges Cohen family investment firm since 2001.

From 2001 to 2012 Mr. Cohen was a non-executive director and major shareholder at Panhard General Defense, the combat vehicle maker. From 2003 to 2011 Julien was a non-executive director and major shareholder at Altergaz, the French natural gas producer. Julien is a graduate of the Institute Supérieur de Gestion in Paris, bringing to the board valuable technology investment and cross-sector experience in business growth and development.

Charles-Henri Sabet, executive chairman of LCG, said:”I am delighted to welcome Charles, Dimitri and Julien to the board and know that their broad skills and experience will be a real asset to the Company as we prepare for our move into overseas markets.

A combination of their collective experience across a broad spectrum of financial and professional services, coupled with their extensive knowledge of transacting across borders, provides the Group’s executive leadership team with the support needed as we progress with the next stage of development across our chosen business lines and selected product offerings.”

Aside from the new non-executive directors, Mr. Sabet has been successful in attracting leadership talent in the form of former FXCM Managing Director Francois Nembrini, who works closely alongside Mr. Sabet.

To read the announcement from the London Stock Exchange, click here.

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